


Coming of Age

by Jackir30



Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, Dan Rudd - Fandom, MatPat - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, natewantstobattle, youtube - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Fiction, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28054782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackir30/pseuds/Jackir30
Summary: A Young princess has come of age and must choose the next prince to rule by her side in her kingdom. Tensions rise however, as one of the selected men are plotting against some of the other men in order to have a better chance of winning. Will the princess choose the right prince? Or will it end with dire consequences?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. Eighteen

As she could hear the door slowly creek open, Melanie internally sighed, keeping her eyes closed as if she were still asleep. She knew what today was, and it wasn’t something she was looking forward to. No amount of begging her parents could get her away from this day. Through her closed eyes, she could suddenly see light as the curtains opened.

“Princess Melanie” The elder maid Esther quietly announced, “It is time for you to wake up. The king and queen are expecting you in no more than fifteen minutes.”  
Melanie moaned, slowly sitting up in her bed, giving a tired look at Esther. She wasn’t phased by the look at all.  
“It’s my eighteenth birthday.” Melanie groaned. “Surely they could let me sleep a little longer.”  
“It is nine-thirty in the morning.” Esther responded, “They let you sleep in an hour later than usual. You should be thankful.”  
Melanie looked at the grandfather clock against the wall, sure enough it was nine-thirty in the morning.  
“Oh, I never realized.” Melanie said. She sighed before slowly making her way out of bed. She watched as Esther went through her closet of dresses.   
“Your father requested that you wear this dress this morning.” Esther demanded.  
“I can’t even pick out my own clothing today?” Melanie asked.  
“Today is a special day, you must look your best.” Esther remarked. “Now quit being stubborn.”

Melanie walked over and carefully snatched the dress from Esther and went behind the divider to get dressed. She slipped out of her comfortable pajamas and struggled to put on her ‘morning gown’. She came out from behind the divider partially dressed and Esther helped her put on her gown. Esther then had Melanie sit down as she put up her hair. As Melanie looked in the mirror, a look of dissatisfaction was on her face as her hair was being done. She didn’t like it, but she knew she couldn’t say anything about it. 

“I’m guessing my father requested my hair to be up like this as well?” Melanie asked.  
“No, I’m just helping you look nice.” Esther responded.  
“Thank you, but I can do my own hair.” Melanie said.   
Esther stopped brushing Melanie’s hair and nodded before making her way out of the door. That’s the only thing she did like. If it wasn’t a demand from her parents, she could tell anybody in her room to get out.   
Melanie didn’t do much with her hair. She simply kept it down for the time being before heading downstairs to meet up with her parents.  
\------  
As she entered the dining hall, the king and queen were already seated. Before sitting down, she bowed down to her mother and father. Even though she was their own daughter, she still has to bow down just like anybody else who sees the king and queen.   
“Good morning, Melanie.” The King spoke.   
“Good morning, father.” Melanie said.  
“As you know, today is a very important day for you.” The Queen stated.  
Melanie was silent as she looked at her parents, “Not even a ‘Happy Birthday’ to me to start off the morning?” Melanie asked.  
The King sighed, “Yes Melanie, we are still celebrating your birthday tonight as per usual, but tonight we are also holding a ceremony for you to choose your prince, the future King of Gloucester.”  
“And this has to be tonight?” Melanie asked.  
The King gave her a stern look.  
“It’s a family tradition.” The Queen responded. “Any royal who turns eighteen within the family must choose their next heir to rule beside them to take the King and Queen’s place.”  
“Consider yourself lucky, young lady.” The King added. “Normally, the King and Queen chooses for their daughter, but tonight, we have chosen to let you decide for yourself.”  
“Who will I be choosing from?” Melanie asked.  
“We have selected six handsome, young princes from some of our neighboring kingdoms for you to choose from.” The King explained. “Tonight, you will be able to mingle and get to know each of them and when the night is over, you get to choose who you would like as your Prince.”  
“You expect me to just have an answer by the end of the night?” Melanie asked. “What if the prince I choose isn’t the person I thought they would be?”  
“You won’t have to worry about that darling, they are all very handsome, brave and kind young men.” The Queen assured her.  
“How would you know? You have been able to travel to other kingdoms to see these men and I haven’t been able to see them once!” Melanie exclaimed.  
“You’ve met Sir Nathan on numerous occasions growing up.” The King said.

Melanie hasn’t heard that name in a long time. As children, Nathan and Melanie would always run around playing with each other, causing mischief throughout the castle. It would anger The Kings and Queens, but at the end of the day, they would never get in trouble. It wasn’t until around five years ago that they stopped visiting. 

“I haven’t seen Nathan in so long.” Melanie said, speaking softly. She then looked over at the King, “Why did they stop visiting us?”  
The King sighed, “Let’s just say conflicts were rising amongst our two kingdoms. So tonight, this could possibly bring our kingdoms together again.”  
“If this is very important to you, why aren’t you making me marry him?” Melanie asked.

The King was silent, not wanting to answer. This concerned Melanie. But before she could question anything further, their meals were brought out. Melanie smiled as she saw all of her favorite breakfast meals on her plate. She looked over at the King and Queen, and they smiled back before they ate. She couldn’t thank them then and there, because nobody could speak when meals were being served. 

After their meals were collected, Melanie stood up and bowed down to her parents again.  
“Thank you for the wonderful food.” Melanie said.   
“You’re quite welcome, Melanie.” The King responded.  
The clock suddenly chimed as the clock had reached eleven o’clock.  
“Oh goodness, we’re going to be late for the arrivals.” The King said.   
“Oh yes, they’re arriving at the castle early.” Melanie responded.  
“That’s correct, and you know the rules.” The Queen said, giving her a stern, yet sincere look.  
“I must stay in my room until the celebration begins.” Melanie said in a monotone voice.  
“I know it’s going to be boring, but this is just how it goes.” The Queen said.   
Melanie sighed, “I understand.”  
“Not to be rude, but we need to get a move on!” The King said. “They will be arriving at any moment!”  
The Queen nodded and escorted Melanie up into her room.


	2. Sneaking Out

Melanie looked out over the garden on the balcony in her room. She looked down at the large fountain and smiled as she noticed birds playing in the water. Some of them were baby birds. It was fun watching them bob their tiny heads in the water, most likely being unfamiliar with the liquid that is making their feathers soggy. After a couple minutes, the birds decided to fly away, leaving Melanie all alone again. 

She went back inside of her room and sat down on her bed. She opened the drawer from her nightstand and took out a journal. The Queen gave her the journal a few years ago, but she never wrote anything down on it. It wasn’t a journal where she could lock it up and keep anybody from reading it, and she knew that The Queen would probably read it if she ever found it. She would especially be disappointed with what Melanie would have written in it had she decided to write in it. But she already had expressed her feelings during breakfast this morning, so she really didn’t have anything to hide this time. 

She took out a pen and began writing. 

My name is Princess Melanie of Gloucester. The Queen gave this journal for me a few years ago, but this is my first time writing in it.  
Today I turn 18 years old, and I must choose a man to marry and become the future king. To be quite honest, I wish I didn’t have to do this. No amount of tradition should have to force me to marry a man I will only just be meeting tonight. Although, Nathan will be there, so I guess that’s something.  
But I don’t really believe in the whole friends to lovers idea, especially since we haven’t seen each other in years. I feel like Nathan would only ever be a friend to me, unless something changes within me when I see him tonight. I guess we’ll have to see. 

Melanie was about to continue writing when she heard a knock on the door. After a brief moment of silence the door creaked open and she saw a familiar face peek around the door and smile back at her. 

It was her best friend, Sarah, another maid in the castle, whom she hadn’t seen in months. 

Melanie smiled and quickly ran over to her and they embraced each other. 

“Oh my god! It’s been so long!” Sarah smiled.  
“I thought you were working in the Queen’s chambers?” Melanie asked.  
“I am!” Sarah nodded. “But by special demand of the Queen, I have been asked to supervise you and get you ready for the ball tonight!” 

Melanie smiled and hugged her best friend again. They have been inseparable as children until Sarah turned sixteen, when she started working as a maid in the Queen’s chambers along with her mother. Melanie and Sarah would hardly ever see each other until now. 

“I’m so happy you’re here, I was getting so lonely.” Melanie said.  
“It’s only been a half hour since you’ve been sent to your room!” Sarah said.  
“I know, but having to spend hours in this room until the ball tonight is not very pleasant for me.” Melanie said.  
“I think I have something that could cheer you up.” Sarah said.  
“What would that be?” Melanie asked.  
“We can sneak out and watch the boys arrive.” Sarah suggested.  
Melanie’s jaw dropped, “Are you insane? What if we get caught?”  
“We won’t, I promise!” Sarah assured her. “I have the perfect hiding spot!”  
“What about the doors? Aren’t they guarded?” Melanie asked.  
“Who said anything about going out the door?” Sarah asked. 

Sarah then looked out to the balcony and smiled back at Melanie. 

“No… no way!” Melanie responded.  
“There is a ladder by the side of the balcony, we can just climb down and go inside and watch from there!” Sarah explained.  
“But what about the guards standing by the back door?” Melanie asked.  
“They weren’t there when I passed by earlier.” Sarah claimed. “I believe they were sent outside of the castle to act as extra patrol for the arrivals!” 

Melanie fidgeted for a brief moment. She has never done anything rebellious like this before. She didn’t want to break the rules, but she was eager to at least try and see the men she would have to choose from before the ball tonight. She also trusted Sarah, who knows the castle inside and out. She gave Sarah a nod and the two of them started sneaking out. 

Sarah lead the way as she went next to the balcony. She made sure no guards were walking around before she climbed over the railing and onto the ladder. She could very easily climb, mainly because she wasn’t bound to a dress like Melanie was. Melanie took an extra moment or two, but finally managed to climb over the railing and grab hold of the ladder. The two of them slowly began climbing down the ladder before reaching the ground below. 

Sarah quickly grabbed Melanie as they headed inside the castle through the back corridor. At the end of every hallway, Sarah peeked around to see if there were any signs of guards before walking down the next set of halls. Melanie’s heart was racing the entire time, she was constantly looking around and behind her, scared that she was going to get caught. 

Sarah then turned down one last hallway and as Melanie looked around the hallway, she knew exactly where she was. This was the hallway where her and Sarah would play all the time as kids, but now it was practically abandoned. She began to realize that room Sarah was going to bring her in too as well. 

Sarah stopped at the very last room down the hall, took out a key and twisted the door open. The two of them quickly and quietly entered the room and Sarah shut the door behind her.


	3. The Arrivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YouTubers/Streamers mentioned in this chapter and in future chapters are real, but the actions performed throughout the rest of the story are completely fictional.   
> Also, the names of the kingdoms mentioned throughout this story are also fictional as well.

“Well, that went much better than anticipated.” Melanie said, breathing a sigh of relief.   
“I told you, I know my way around.” Sarah said. 

Melanie looked around the room, which was their old playroom. There wasn’t anything there except for their old tables and chairs that were much too small for them, as well as boxes stacked against both ends of the room. 

“The very first thing my mother had me do when I started working as an actual maid was to clean this room.” Sarah said. “It was something I never really thought I would have to do.”   
Melanie frowned, “I never even realized…”   
“Don’t feel too bad, though.” Sarah assured her. “Most of the toys we played with were donated to the town for their children, and the rest are going to be kept for the next generation.”   
“Wow, that’s wonderful!” Melanie said, a little more hopeful. 

Sarah then brought one of the tables over against a wall and stood on top of it. She then looked through a window that was in the room. 

“This is why I brought you here!” Sarah said. 

Melanie stood up on the table and looked outside the window with Sarah. The window showed the interior of the front castle. Flashbacks ran through Melanie’s mind of the two of them constantly shouting at the guards through the opened window as kids. Some of them were fun and played along, others weren’t so fond of it. It got to a point where the King got annoyed as well. 

“Sarah, you are a genius!” Melanie said.   
“You could have told me that from the beginning.” Sarah joked. 

The two of them slowly opened the window, where they could see the King and Queen standing in the center of the room, and they could see the doors to the castle beginning to open. 

“We made it just in time!” Sarah whispered all excited. At this point, Melanie was also growing excited. 

The town crier was the first to enter the castle and he stood to the side by one of the doors. 

“Your Majesty, our honorable guests have arrived, may I introduce to you… Sir Séan McLoughlin of Lakovia!” The crier announced. 

Melanie and Sarah watched as the first man entered the castle. He had a dark green suit, dress pants and black dress shoes and had dark brown hair, a mustache and a beard. 

Sarah looked over to Melanie, “What do you think?”   
Melanie shrugged, “Not bad I guess… he’s only the first one, so we’ll have to see the others.” 

The ladies watched as Seán bowed down to the King, kissed the Queen’s hand and walked over and stood to the side. 

The town crier continued, “Sir Mark Fischbach from Marcovia!” 

The ladies watched as a young man with slick, black hair walked into the room. He was wearing a suit and tie with a pin on the right side of his chest. He had facial hair as well, but not nearly as much as Seán. 

“He’s a fancy looking man, I will say that much.” Melanie said.   
“Yes, but did they name him Mark on purpose, to stick with the name of his kingdom?” Sarah asked.   
Melanie shrugged, “I guess that’s something I could ask him tonight at the ball.” 

The town crier continued, “Sir Ethan Nestor of Starfire!” 

The young man entered the castle. He was wearing all black and had brown hair. They watched as he quickly moved towards the King and Queen

“Aww, he seems nervous.” Sarah said.   
“Well, I would be too if I were in his shoes.” Melanie said. “He also looks to be my age too.” 

“Sir Matthew Patrick, of Mira!” The town crier announced. 

Another young man with slick, light brown hair entered the castle wearing a black suit and green tie. Melanie was surprised to hear Sarah not saying anything about him. She looked over at her, noticing she was still looking at him. 

“Sarah, are you all right?” Melanie asked.   
Sarah was silent, continuing to stare at him for another moment before suddenly snapping out of it. “Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! I’m fine!”  
“You seemed entranced with him.” Melanie smiled.   
“Oh no, no I was… I was focusing!” Sarah responded, blushing. 

“Sir Nathan Smith of Avarone!” The town crier said. 

Melanie watched as Nathan entered the room. She was surprised to see Nathan look almost completely different compared to how he looked years ago when they were younger. He also seemed a lot more confident as he approached the King and Queen, having that look somebody would give when they haven’t seen each other in a while. 

“Wow… Nathan really cleaned himself up quite well, hasn’t he?” Sarah asked. “I remember when he had glasses on and he was almost like a geek charming!”   
“Yeah… I remember too.” Melanie said.   
“Do you think he could be the one?” Sarah asked.   
“I don’t know… nothing’s really clicking yet.” Melanie said.   
“We’ve still got one more!” Sarah said. 

“Our final guest for tonight, Sir Daniel Rudd of Cornelia!” The crier announced. 

The ladies watched as a young man with red, curly hair, and clean shaven face approaching the King and Queen wearing all black with a long, dark purple jacket. Melanie kept her eyes on him, finding something about the rest of them that she couldn’t quite place. 

“I didn’t know Cornelia had any line of royalty just yet!” Melanie could hear Sarah saying. “They had just separated from Avarone only a couple of months ago.”  
“There’s something about Daniel that’s interesting to me, I don’t know what it is though.” Melanie said.   
Sarah smiled, “In a good way? You think he could be the one?”   
“Maybe in a good way, but I don’t know if he’s the one just yet.” Melanie said. 

Sarah slowly and quietly closed the window and they both stepped down from the table. 

“Well, you’ve still got several hours to figure it out, and we got to get a sneak peek of them too!” Sarah said.   
“We did!” Melanie smiled. “Thank you so much for this!” 

Suddenly, a voice could be heard outside of the room. 

“Don’t thank her too much!” A voice could be heard. 

Melanie and Sarah froze as the door opened and two guards could be seen at the doorway.


	4. Rumor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terrible at describing what characters are actually wearing so I am putting links at the appropriate times throughout the story to show you what they are wearing if you are interested. None of the photos belong to me. Also, it looks like you'll have to copy and paste the link on a separate tab, apologies in advanced

Melanie and Sarah were escorted back into the bedroom. Melanie’s heart was still racing from being caught. She knew if the King and Queen were to find out, they would be very upset. 

“We apologize for sneaking out.” Sarah said. “This is not on the Princess, it was my idea.”  
“You’re lucky we have decided not to tell the King or Queen.” One of the guards said. “If it was any other circumstance however, we would have.”  
“Thank you, we grately appreciate it.” Melanie smiled with relief.  
“We locked the doors to the balcony in case you two do decide to make any other escapes.” The second guard said.  
“That won’t be necessary, but thank you.” Sarah nodded. 

The guards then closed the doors to the bedroom. 

The ladies then flopped down on Melanie’s bed as they breathed a large sigh of relief. Moments later, the two of them started laughing as they rolled around on the bed until they were looking up at the ceiling. 

“I can’t believe we did that!” Melanie said.  
“See? I told you it would be worth it!” Sarah smiled. “There’s no way you would have been able to do this tonight without having seen the boys at least once before!”  
“Yeah I know.” Melanie said. “But still, I’ve only seen what they look like. I don’t know who they are like as a person.”  
“Well, except for Nathan.” Sarah mentioned.  
“Yeah, I know… but he might have changed within the past few years since I’ve seen him.” Melanie explained. “And nothing really changed on how I saw him today.”  
“You said you saw something within that other boy though.” Sarah said.  
“Yeah… Daniel.” Melanie nodded. “Something just drew me to him. I don’t know what exactly it is, though. But he does have very pretty eyes.”  
“Maybe that was it then!” Sarah responded.  
Melanie smiled as she turned to Sarah. “Meanwhile, I could see you had your mind set on Sir Matthew!”  
“What? No!” Sarah quickly responded, growing fidgety and blushing. “I mean, yes, he is a nice looking man… but he’s not for me!”  
“Well, what if I introduce him to you tonight?” Melanie asked.  
“No! You don’t have to do that!” Sarah said.  
“After I get done my part with him, I will introduce him to you!” Melanie insisted. “It’ll go great!”  
“But what if he’s only interested in you?” Sarah asked.  
“I’m sure these men are aware that they’re not all going to win me over, and that life must go on.” Melanie responded.  
“Well I’m not royalty…” Sarah said.  
“But you’re connected to royalty, and that’s good enough.” Melanie said.  
“Do you really think it’s going to work?” Sarah asked.  
“We can’t be so sure unless we try it out!” Melanie responded. 

Suddenly, the grandfather clock rang. The ladies sat up from the bed and looked at the time. It was one o’clock. Four more hours until the party. 

“Ooh! I have to get you ready!” Sarah said. “Why don’t I request some lunch for the both of us before I get you dressed?”  
“That sounds great!” Melanie nodded. 

Sarah then walked out of the bedroom. She was scolded by the guards at first, but after explaining she was going to get lunch, they let her through.  
~~~~~~~  
Each of the young men were brought into the Kings Hallway, where they were each given separate rooms to prepare for the party. 

As Daniel got settled into the room, he heard a knock on the door. 

“Come in.” Daniel announced. 

The door opened and Mark entered the room. 

“Ah, sir Mark.” Daniel greeted with a smile.  
“Hello sir Daniel.” Mark responded. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”  
“The pleasure is mine.” Daniel nodded. “I can say the same to you.”  
“Well, I’m not as big of a deal as you and your kingdom are at the moment.” Mark said.  
Daniel raised an eyebrow, “Really? How so?”  
Mark was silent for a moment, almost wishing he hadn’t said anything. However, he continued speaking, “There has been a talk amongst the other kingdoms about the conflict between Cornelia and Avarone.” Mark explained. “Tonight can mean the difference in our alliance with Gloucester depending on who the princess chooses.”  
“I’m well aware of that.” Daniel responded. “However, I don’t think it will make that much of a difference in Avarone. They’ll still want war with the other kingdoms and will try and take over the country.”  
“Yes, but at least we will know for certain that Gloucester is on our side.” Mark continued. “It’s been a hell of a confusing time with this kingdom. One moment, Gloucester seems to share an alliance with Avarone and then the next moment, they aren’t. They seem to be unaware, or maybe even ignorant of the events unfolding within the other kingdoms. Hopefully, tonight will change that.”  
“My concern is that the princess has developed a friendship with Sir Nathan in the past due to their former alliance.” Daniel said. “That puts the rest of us at great disadvantage.”  
“That doesn’t really mean anything.” Mark said. “The princess may only end up liking him only as a friend.”  
“That is true, I guess we won’t know until tonight.” Daniel said.  
“Well then, we just have to try and charm the princess a little more.” Mark said.  
“If that’s what you want to do, then go ahead. But I’m going to be myself tonight.” Daniel responded.  
“Well, I’m wishing you good luck, friend.” Mark said.  
“Same to you.” Daniel said. 

The two of them shook hands and Mark left the room. Daniel sat back in one of the chairs in his room, processing everything him and Mark just talked about. He was right, tonight was a big deal, not just for themselves, but for the entire country.  
~~~~~~~  
THREE HOURS LATER 

Sarah has just finished lacing the back of Melanie’s dress. 

https://images.app.goo.gl/MksaRQsuucMmoa3h8

Melanie turned around and looked at Sarah. Sarah smiled, jumping up and down and clapping. 

“You look so beautiful!” Sarah said.  
“Thank you.” Melanie smiled. 

The door opened and the Queen entered the room. Melanie and Sarah bowed as they saw her enter. The Queen covered her mouth as she smiled, almost to the point of tears. 

“My little princess… is not little anymore.” The Queen said. She looked over at Sarah. “Well done Sarah, she looks stunning.”  
“Thank you your majesty.” Sarah nodded, bowing her head. “I will leave you two alone to further prepare.” 

After Sarah left the room, the Queen picked up Melanie’s crown from the top of the vanity and placed it on her head. 

https://images.app.goo.gl/G28spaWxeezL5QWW6

The Queen then had Melanie turn around and look into the mirror. 

“This is it.” The Queen said. “Tonight, you will get to see six handsome, young men, one of which you will choose to become the future King of Gloucester.”  
“I’m still nervous, mother.” Melanie said. “I only have one night to mingle with these men and I have to choose one. What if the man I choose is not who I thought they were?”  
“All of these men have been proven loyal to their kingdom and the people within it. I don’t think you will have much to worry about.” The Queen claimed. 

The Queen gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and patted her shoulders. 

“Only a half hour now before all the guests arrive and the party begins.” The Queen continued. “Your father would like to see you all dressed up before we begin.”  
“Yes, of course.” Melanie nodded. 

Melanie then followed her mother out of her bedroom.


	5. The Ball- Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any photos that are linked throughout the chapter are not mine and may have to be copy and pasted on a separate link if you want a clear description of what everyone is wearing. Apologies for the inconvenience.

The King smiled as Melanie walked down the hallway over to him. He took her hand and kissed it before looking up at her.   
“Melanie, my daughter, you look simply glorious.” The King smiled.   
Melanie was actually caught off guard by her father actually calling her ‘daughter’.   
“Whichever man you choose tonight will be lucky to have you as their prince.” The King continued.   
“Thank you, father.” Melanie smiled back.   
Esther came into the room soon after “Your majesty, the guests are beginning to arrive.”   
The King nodded, “Thank you, we will be down as soon as a majority of the guests have arrived.”   
Esther bowed before leaving the room.   
The King then looked at Melanie. “When the festivities begin, the Queen and I will enter the room and give you your introduction.” He explained. “Then from there, the six gentlemen will enter one by one. Then it is all you from there.”   
Melanie nodded, “Yes father.”   
~~~~~~~  
About a half hour later, most if not all of the guests were inside of the castle and ready for the party to start. 

The trumpets sounded and the crier entered the room.   
“Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, The King and Queen of Gloucester!” 

The King and Queen entered the room, everybody bowed before applauding after they had taken their seat at their table. 

“Thank you all for coming!” The King announced. “It is my honor to introduce to you, the future Queen of Gloucester, with whom we are celebrating tonight, Princess Melanie!” 

The trumpets sounded again as Melanie entered the room. She looked around as everybody bowed to her. This felt awkward to her, she’s never been given this type of attention or respect before. She almost wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but she continued walking until she sat down next to The King. 

The men were then introduced. They were introduced in the same order as they entered earlier in the day, except they were all wearing fancier clothing than before. 

Sir Seán McLoughlin of Lakovia was wearing this suit with dark green dress pants and black dress shoes https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1668/8229/products/image_162ed890-264f-44ed-9ab2-4e086c6fc7a3_300x.jpg?v=1575296572

Sir Mark Fischbach of Marcovia was wearing the same suit that he wore before https://images.app.goo.gl/KPdKPfXr3AuvQgrXA

Sir Ethan Nestor also came in wearing the same suit he wore before as well   
https://images.app.goo.gl/ntoqg8pdZi4XBg158

Sir Matthew Patrick of Mira came in wearing this suit with black pants and brown dress shoes https://images.app.goo.gl/F1B9Z2HgEGnuTG6X6

Sir Nathan Smith of Avarone came in wearing this suit with black pants and dress shoes https://images.app.goo.gl/9RGiMQ5hBxKpoi489

And finally, Sir Daniel Rudd of Cornelia was introduced and came in wearing this suit with dark purple pants and black dress shoes https://images.app.goo.gl/C78AJxYpZiE2MR1M6

Melanie was taken aback by how some of these men looked. It seemed like it was going to be a bit difficult to decide who she should choose to mingle with first. 

But before she could actually do anything, Mark came up and bowed down to her. 

“My lady, may I have permission to take you for a walk?” Mark asked. 

Melanie was taken aback again. She actually didn’t expect any of the men to ask her first. She also didn’t expect to be requested like that. 

She looked over at The King and Queen, who were giving her a confirming look. 

She then smiled back at Mark, took his hand and nodded, “It would be my pleasure.” 

Mark and Melanie began to walk around the room as ballroom music began to play. 

“I apologize if it seemed rather unprofessional of me to approach and ask to accompany you first.” Mark said.   
“No, of course not!” Melanie responded. “To be truthful, I thought I was supposed to be the one to approach one of you first.”   
“From what I was told by my family, I should just go for the first opportunity that I have.” Mark explained. “So I decided to take the first move as soon as I saw nobody else around.”   
“Well, I think that’s great that you did that!” Melanie said. “It saved me the trouble of having to choose which one of you to mingle with first, and I’m sure it saved you boys the awkwardness of deciding who would go first.”   
“Yes, I believe it did as well.” Mark responded. 

Mark noticed Nathan sitting at a table to the left of him, giving him a stern look. At first, he stared back but then chose to look back at Melanie. This was about him and the princess tonight, not about any rivalries l. 

Mark led the princess onto the dance floor and they slowly began to dance. 

“I must apologize, because I never complimented you before.” Mark said. “But you look simply beautiful.”   
Melanie smiled, “Thank you, you look very stunning as well.” She looked down at his pin, which had the letter DM on it.   
“What do the letters on your pin stand for?” Melanie asked.   
“Damien of Marcovia.” Mark responded. “Damien is the name of my late father.”   
“Oh, I’m very sorry to hear about your father.” Melanie said.   
“It’s alright.” Mark said. “It was quite a long time ago that this happened, actually. But our family wears this pin to remember him.”   
“That’s very sweet.” Melanie said.   
“But don’t let that affect you in any way.” Mark assured her. “Our kingdom is thriving, and my brother has done a phenomenal job of taking care of our kingdom since his passing.”   
“I’m sure your father would be proud of what you have all accomplished.” Melanie said.   
“I don’t doubt that at all.” Mark said. 

The two of them continued dancing to the music for some time before Melanie noticed Sarah standing alone on the dance floor. 

She looked up at Mark, “I’m terribly sorry, but would you mind if I go and say hello to somebody?”   
“Of course!” Mark responded. 

She smiled as she walked away from Mark and went over to Sarah. 

“You’re here! I’m so glad you came!” Melanie said.   
“Melanie, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this.” Sarah said.   
“You mean meeting Matthew?” Melanie asked.   
“I just… don’t want to intrude on anything.” Sarah frowned. “Especially if his main goal is to win you over. I doubt he would want a maid as his lover.”   
“You’re not just any maid, Sarah, you are my best friend.” Melanie said. “I will make sure that this works out for the two of you!” 

Melanie looked over and noticed Matthew having a sip of wine and chatting with Seán. She looked over at Sarah and smiled before walking over to Matthew.


	6. The Ball, Part 2

Matthew noticed Melanie approaching him out of the corner of his high and immediately bowed to her.   
Melanie smiled, “That will not be necessary, but thank you anyways.”   
Matthew just smiled and nodded, “I suppose you would like to have a word with me?”   
Melanie nodded, “Something like that”   
Matthew linked elbows with Melanie and she brought him over to Sarah.  
“I hope you don’t mind at all Sir Matthew, but I would actually like to introduce you to a very good friend of mine.” Melanie explained.  
Matthew smiled, very intrigued. “Why of course, princess! Any friend of yours would be a great acquaintance to me!” 

Melanie smiled reassuringly at Sarah as she began to fidget and grow more nervous the closer they approached her. It was too late for her to run away now, she just had to smile and hope for the best. 

“Sir Matthew, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Sarah. Sarah, this is Sir Matthew Patrick of Mira.” Melanie said.   
Matthew smiled as he took Sarah’s hand and kissed it, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Sarah”   
Sarah seemed to swoon a little as Matthew kissed her hand. She didn’t expect it at all, and she thought she would faint! 

Melanie softly giggled as she saw Sarah’s reaction. Eventually, Sarah regained her composure and Matthew and Sarah walked off together. 

Just then, she felt an arm around her shoulder. She looked over, noticing Sir Seán leaning against her. He seemed rather tipsy. She wasn’t sure what to make of this sudden gesture at first, but decided to play along. 

“Don’t you just love young love?” Seán asked Melanie.   
“Why… yes I think it can be very lovely.” Melanie responded. 

Seán seemed to snap out of it and realize who exactly he was talking to and quickly took his arm off her shoulder. 

“Oh um… my deepest apologies, your highness.” Seán said awkwardly. “I uh… may have had a bit too much to drink already.”   
“Well, that is quite alright.” Melanie assured him. “The drinks here are quite tasty. Feel free to have as many as you’d like!”   
Seán smiled, “Would you like me to get you a drink?”   
“Oh no thank you, how very kind of you for asking.” Melanie responded.   
“I will return in a bit, your majesty.” Seán said before going across the ballroom to the bar. 

As Melanie looked over the dance floor, she could see Sarah and Matthew dancing together. This made her especially happy. As she continued to watch them dance, she noticed Sir Ethan standing by the dance floor by himself, watching the other dancers. 

Melanie went over to Ethan, “Sir Ethan Nestor, may I accompany you to the dance floor?”   
Ethan smiled and nodded, “Of course your majesty.” 

The two of them walked onto the dance floor and slowly began dancing. They didn’t really say much when dancing, and he seemed just as nervous as he was before when he arrived, but it still felt nice and welcoming. After the song ended however, Ethan decided to part ways. 

Melanie watched as he left the dance floor and left the ballroom. But before she could catch up to him, she ran into Nathan. 

“Melanie, hi!” Nathan smiled.   
“Nathan, hi!” She responded.   
“Is everything alright?” He asked.   
“Yeah, I’m just trying to talk to Ethan, that’s all.” Melanie said.   
“He’s not somebody who enjoys interaction that much.” Nathan claimed. “I tried getting to know him a bit earlier today but he basically clammed up. It’s a shame, really.”   
“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Melanie asked.   
“I’m sure he’ll be just fine.” Nathan assured her. “But as for us, we have quite a bit of catching up to do.” 

Nathan took her hand and they began walking together, catching up on what the two of them have been up to since they last saw each other. Their interaction felt as if they hadn’t stopped talking to one another at all. 

“You know, I’m so happy that you and I get to see each other again after all these years.” Nathan said. “I feel as if we hadn’t lost our touch at all.”   
“It does feel great being able to talk to you again.” Melanie agreed. 

But, deep down, Melanie had the same feeling she had earlier when she first saw Nathan arrive at the castle. Even though she had spent more than fifteen to twenty minutes talking to one another, which was more time than she spent with any of the other men, she didn’t feel any sort of spark of actual affection or love to Nathan. She could only see him as a friend. 

Melanie frowned as she realized this, which concerned Nate, “Everything alright?” He asked.   
Melanie nodded, “Yes, everything is fine. I’m just a little, conflicted that’s all.”   
“How so?” Nathan asked.   
Melanie sighed, “I have until midnight tonight to choose a man to marry. And, while I love mingling with every one of them, I haven’t felt any sort of connection with them.”   
“Really?” Nathan asked.   
Melanie nodded before looking at Nathan, “And I know we’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember, but I’m just not feeling anything towards you… just the fact that we’re friends.”   
“Melanie, if there is anything I can do to make it up to you or show you my worth, I can.” Nathan said.   
“No.” Melanie said. “I just need time to think everything through.” 

Melanie turned and walked away from Nathan. She didn’t quite look behind her as she turned around however, and she found herself tripping and falling on top of somebody. Everybody in the ballroom stopped and turned as they saw her fall. As she looked at who it was, she realized it was Sir Daniel of Cornelia. She looked down at his suit, realizing that she had spilled something on it. 

Instantly, she panicked. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” Melanie exclaimed.   
Daniel let out a small laugh, “It’s quite alright!” 

Melanie and Daniel helped each other up. Melanie couldn’t help but look at his suit, noticing the large, wet stain she had created after she spilled something on him.

“I got your suit all wet, I feel so bad!” Melanie said.   
“No, it’s no trouble at all, really.” Daniel assured her.   
“Please, let me at least clean it up.” Melanie asked. “It’s the least I can do.”   
Daniel smiled, “If this will help make you feel better, then go ahead.” 

Melanie smiled in relief as she asked a maid to grab her some napkins and she took Daniel to the other side of the ballroom where they could talk in peace. 

Nathan watched the two of them walk away, with a look of anger on his face.


	7. The Spill

Melanie grabbed a small handkerchief, dipped a small portion of it in the hot bowl of water the maid had given her and started dabbing it onto Daniel’s suit. 

“I hope you weren’t drinking anything too fancy when I fell on top of you.” Melanie said.   
Daniel had an awkward, yet guilty look on his face, “I actually was drinking the Diamond Rosetta wine.”   
Melanie’s eyes widened, “That’s one of the most expensive wines we have!”   
Daniel chuckled, “For a wine as special as that, it wasn’t really all that good.”   
“Really?” Melanie asked.   
“Well, in Cornelia, we don’t have all those luxurious, fancy wines all the other kingdoms have just yet.” Daniel explained. “Which is why I was very much looking forward to trying some of them tonight, so you could imagine my disappointment when I finally got to try them.”   
“That’s right, you had just separated from Avarone a few months ago.” Melanie said.   
“Actually, we’ve been separated from Avarone for quite a few years now.” Daniel said. “Although it wasn’t fully announced to the rest of the country until just recently.”   
“Really?” Melanie asked.   
“We waited until we had all the proper resources to announce our division from Avarone.” Daniel said. “It took quite a while, but we managed to finally get there.”   
“How did you and your family become the royal heirs of Cornelia?” Melanie asked.   
“My family and Nathan’s family knew each other quite well.” Daniel explained. “We always enjoyed each other’s company, and Nathan and I would always talk and play with one another as kids. But then, the conflicts in Avarone arose, and our family along with the southern half of Avarone began to disagree with the monarchy, and thus we separated from Avarone. The people of Cornelia knew our connections with the royal family in the past and trusted us with ruling it.”   
Daniel’s story got Melanie thinking about her past friendship with Nathan, “That was probably around the time we became acquainted with the Sharp family. I still never fully knew why they suddenly became acquainted with us, but then all of a sudden it just stopped.”   
Daniel sighed, “Avarone is a mysterious kingdom. But don’t let that get in the way of anything you may feel towards Nathan, whether it’s a friendship or otherwise.”   
“I’ll be quite honest, I don’t see Nathan and I being more than just friends.” Melanie said. “I don’t even know if I can say any of this to you, but I’m just so conflicted right now I just want to tell anyone I can.”   
“Whatever you tell me will only be between you and me.” Daniel assured her.   
“I appreciate that very much.” Melanie said. 

Melanie put the handkerchief back in the bowl and took a look at Daniel’s suit. It still looked damp from when she spilled wine on his suit, but the stain seemed to be gone. She then reached over and felt the suit, to make sure it wasn’t too wet. As she rubbed her hand against the suit however, she could feel Daniel’s heartbeat. Her hand stopped as she continued to feel his heartbeat. It was steady and calm. It actually sent chills down her body. She’s never really felt another human's heartbeat before. Knowing how relaxed he was during this place and time, actually helped her calm down in a way too. 

Daniel looked down at her hand and his chest before looking up at her, “Is everything alright?” 

Melanie quickly realized what she was doing and took her hand off of his chest, “Oh yes, everything’s fine…” she rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment, “I was just making sure your suit didn’t feel damp or anything.”   
Daniel smiled, “Well I appreciate your help.”   
“Yes, it’s no problem at all.” Melanie said.   
As the two of them stood up from the table, Melanie looked back over at the bar where all the wines were. She then looked back at Daniel.   
“Are you sure there weren't any other wines you wanted to taste?” Melanie asked. “It’s the least I can do for spilling wine on you earlier.”   
“No, I’m alright, thank you.” Daniel responded. “I don’t want to become a drunken mess on a night like tonight.”   
“I told Sir Seán earlier tonight that if he wanted to have many drinks, he was allowed to.” Melanie insisted.   
Daniel then pointed to Sir Seán who was asleep at one of the tables. Melanie covered her mouth trying not to laugh.   
“Perhaps I should get somebody to escort him back up to his room.” Melanie said.   
“I would have to agree with you on that.” Daniel nodded. 

Melanie went off to speak to one of the servants. As Daniel watched Melanie and the servants help Sir Seán up, a voice can be heard from behind him. 

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” 

Daniel turned around and saw Nathan standing behind him, with no emotion showing on his face. Daniel knew that this wouldn’t be good, but he stood his ground. 

“I didn’t expect you to sneak up behind me.” Daniel responded.   
“I didn’t expect you to suddenly barge into Melanie like that and take her away from me, yet here we are.” Nathan said.   
“For context, she walked away from you, tripped and then fell on top of me.” Daniel said. “I didn’t plan for any of that to happen.” 

Nathan said nothing. Instead, he threw the wine he was holding and spilled it onto Dan’s jacket, causing an even bigger spill than before. Dan just smiled and rolled his eyes. 

“How childish of you, Sir Nathan.” Daniel said as he took his jacket off. “Not only that, but you wasted what could have been a perfectly good wine.”   
“Oh, I never bought this wine to drink to begin with.” Sir Nathan claimed. “You’re lucky we’re at a celebration, otherwise things could be a lot worse right now.”   
“I’m not looking to pick any sort of fight with you, Mr. Sharp.” Daniel said.   
“You’re not taking her from me.” Nathan responded.   
“You can’t do anything about who she chooses.” Daniel said. “And either way, she may not choose either of us. What will happen then?” 

Mark approached the two of them as he saw Nathan spill the drink on Daniel earlier, “Gentlemen, let’s not do anything hasty.”   
“I’m not planning on it.” Daniel said before walking away. 

Mark then looked over at Nathan, “Can you please act civil for once?”   
“Daniel took everything from me.” Nathan claimed.   
“He didn’t take anything from you, he and the rest of Cornelia left your kingdom because of you and your family’s authoritarianism. That’s on you.” 

Nathan leaned in closer to Mark, “You, him and everyone will pay. You’ll see.” before walking away.


	8. The Selection

As Melanie returned back into the ballroom, she noticed Daniel walking with the purple jacket hanging on one of his arms. 

“You took off your jacket?” Melanie asked.   
Daniel nodded, “Well, it seems as though I’ve found myself in somewhat of a predicament with this jacket. As soon as you walked off, somebody seemed to have spilled wine on my jacket again.”   
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” Melanie exclaimed. “I hope I didn’t bring you any sort of bad luck!”   
Daniel chuckled, “No, quite the opposite. You’ve actually given me one of the best moments of my life.”   
Melanie smiled, “Really?”   
“Yes, and it’s quite funny by how unexpected it all was.” Daniel nodded.   
“Oh, I definitely wasn’t expecting it either.” Melanie said. “I just hope the King or Queen didn’t notice it.”   
“I don’t think they noticed, and if they did, who cares?” Daniel asked. “Even the stealthiest of people will trip and fall at some point in their life.”   
“You do have a point there.” Melanie said. 

Just then, the tower bell to the castle could be heard ringing. It has been two hours into the celebration, and Melanie must now make her decision as to who her prince would be. 

“Speaking of the King and Queen, I must return to them now.” Melanie said.   
“May I escort you to them then?” Daniel asked.   
Melanie smiled, “Of course you may.” 

Daniel and Melanie linked elbows and went across the ballroom back to the table where The King and Queen were seated. The King and Queen smiled as they saw their daughter being brought back by one of the men they had selected. As they unlinked elbows, Daniel bowed to the King and Queen and they both nodded in return before he walked away. 

“You seem very pleased with everything tonight.” The King said.   
“I am, father.” Melanie said. “And I know who I am going to choose as my future husband and the next king of Gloucester.” 

The King and Queen looked at each other and smiled.   
~~~~~~~  
Sir Mark and Sir Ethan were mingling with each other when they noticed Daniel escorting Melanie back to the King and Queen. They both noticed how happy they both were. Mark and Ethan both looked at one another and smiled. 

“I think he may have done it.” Mark told Ethan.   
“Well, we can’t be too certain just yet.” Ethan responded.   
“Oh, I am aware of that. But I am very confident about this.” Mark said. 

As Daniel bowed to the King and Queen, he turned around and left, approaching them. 

“Well done.” Mark said to Daniel.   
“Why thank you, same to you.” Daniel responded. “I believe I also owe you thanks for earlier with Nathan.”   
“Oh it’s really no problem at all.” Mark assured him. “The least we can do right now is show a bit of human decency.”   
“I still have great concern that Nathan might end up taking the crown somehow.” Ethan said. “And he’ll do anything in his power to do so.”   
“You do have a point there.” Mark stated. “Sometimes, people will protest and contest one another if they disagree with a decision. It’s rare, but it’s happened before.”   
“How would they do that?” Daniel asked.   
“I’m not sure, it’s hardly ever happened.” Mark claimed.   
“Whatever the case may be, I sure hope he has the decency to accept the result if he isn’t chosen.” Daniel said.   
~~~~~~~  
As Melanie, The King and Queen were just about finished discussing her decision, they noticed Sarah and Sir Matthew approaching their table. Melanie stood up and walked over to them. 

“Sarah, Matthew, are you both enjoying your night?” Melanie asked.   
“Yes, we most certainly are.” Matthew said.   
“You were right, this was the best decision I ever made.” Sarah explained. “We both share so much in common, I didn’t think I would ever meet a man like him in my life.”   
“With all of that aside, I thought we would ask for your blessing for our relationship.” Matthew asked.   
“Why would you need my blessing?” Melanie asked.   
“Well, considering Matthew is one of the six men you have to choose from, we felt like it was necessary to ask.” Sarah explained. “And if for any reason you deny the blessing, I completely understand.”   
“There is no need to ask for my blessing.” Melanie smiled. “My answer would have been yes no matter what. I knew you two would be made for each other.” 

Sarah and Matthew both lit up and looked at each other with excitement and Sarah hugged Melanie, which made Melanie smile as well. Her best friend had her new love and she was about to have hers as well. 

Trumpets blared throughout the ballroom and everybody gathered in front of the King and Queen’s table, with the four remaining men in the very front. Melanie walked in front of the table and looked at all four men. 

“Gentlemen, it has been an honor being able to talk with you all and get to know one another tonight.” Melanie started. “I came into the festival tonight feeling afraid that I wouldn’t be able to choose anyone, but now I feel the happiest I’ve ever felt, and I thank you all for tonight.” 

She then went down the line one by one, talking to each of the men, starting with “Sir Mark of Marcovia, along with being a handsome man, you have shown to me that you are very brave and kind to everyone around you.” 

She then went over to Ethan, “Sir Ethan of Stardore, you are also a kind and handsome young man, and you treat those around you like an acquaintance.” 

Melanie then walked over to Nathan, “Sir Nathan of Avarone, you are a handsome, young man who has shown to me that you are very confident and act strongly for what you believe in.” 

Melanie finally made her way over to Daniel, “And Sir Daniel of Cornelia, you are a handsome man with a kind heart. You have proven to me that I can be myself around you, and have given me the confidence and assurance I needed for tonight, and I cannot thank you enough for that. 

She then held out her hand. Some gasps of shock and happiness were shared by the people nearest them. Daniel looked down at her hand and smiled before holding it. The two of them walked forward to the center of the floor. 

“Sir Daniel of Cornelia, will you be my husband and future heir to the throne?” Melanie asked.   
“Of course.” Daniel smiled. 

The room erupted in applause as the new king had been chosen. Mark, Matthew and Ethan were especially relieved knowing that their alliance with Gloucester would remain. 

Nathan, however, did not like it one bit. 

As the King was about to knight Daniel to make his reign official, Nathan stepped forward. 

“Your highness… I declare protest!!”


	9. Protest

There were gasps and mumbles throughout the ballroom as Nathan announced protest.   
“Sir Nathan, what is the meaning behind this protest?” The King asked.  
“With all due respect your highness, Cornelia has only just become an official kingdom as of several months ago. Sir Daniel is not fit to be king of a kingdom such as Gloucester.” Nathan explained.   
“Alas, Cornelia is still a kingdom, nonetheless no matter how recent it became official.” The King explained.   
“Still, Sir Daniel does not have the experience unlike the rest of us men.” Nathan added.   
“I will be able to grow more experience with time.” Daniel responded.   
“You and your family were only chosen as Cornelia’s rulers because of the past relationship with our families.” Nathan said.   
“That may be true, but at least we began to rule our kingdom with prosperity and loyalty, unlike your authoritarian beliefs.” Daniel argued.   
“You will not bring my kingdom into this!” Nathan exclaimed.   
“You did that yourself by calling protest and bringing up our families!” Daniel responded. 

Melanie quickly brought Daniel back, “Please, let’s not start anything, especially tonight.”   
“Oh, he’s been starting stuff since earlier tonight.” Daniel explained. “Since he decided to act like a child and spill that drink on me.”   
Melanie looked over at Nathan, who only continued to glare at Daniel.   
Melanie went over to try and reason with Nathan, “Nathan, I understand Avarone’s relationship with Cornelia was never the best, but can we at least act civil for tonight?” Melanie asked.   
“Melanie, you are making a mistake.” Nathan explained. “Sir Daniel and Cornelia are too weak to be in alliance with Gloucester. They will do more harm than good in the future!”   
“Sir Nathan, I don’t mean to intrude…” Mark intruded. “But you would not have been satisfied with any of the results unless the Princess chose you.”   
“That is far from the truth!” Nathan argued. “I only want what’s best for this kingdom and this is not it!” 

Melanie walked over to the King, “Father, you need to get Nathan out of here.”   
The King sighed, “Sadly, because he declared protest we cannot do anything unless he ends it.”   
“Well, I am not going to change my decision to marry Daniel because of a disagreement!” Melanie argued.   
“I understand that Melanie and I am not forcing you to do anything.” The King explained. “However, unless Sir Nathan stops the protest himself at any point, I’m afraid we have no choice but to go through with it.” 

The King stood up from the table and approached Nathan and Daniel. 

“Gentlemen, with the protest underway, it seems that we have three options to resolve the issue.” The King explained. “The first option is to have Nathan overturn the protest himself. The second option is to have Melanie change her decision. It seems that both of these options have been immediately blown under the rug.”   
“And what would the third option be?” Daniel asked.   
“The third option will be… a contest…” The King hesitantly responded. “A duel between the Protester and the Protested. The winner ultimately wins the protest, and will be the future heir of Gloucester alongside Melanie.” 

Melanie’s jaw dropped at that statement and she quickly went over to her father, “No… this is not happening! There has got to be another way!”   
“Unless you or Nathan change each other’s minds, then I am afraid that is how it has to go.”   
Melanie gave a pleading look to Nathan, “Please, don’t do this, you’re making a mistake.”   
Nathan shook his head, “I haven’t made any mistakes, I’m doing what’s best for this kingdom, for this country.”   
“You are doing this out of jealousy.” Daniel said. “Which is cowardice to say the least.”   
“The people of Cornelia were the cowards by leaving Avarone.” Nathan argued.   
“You take back what you said right now!” Daniel exclaimed.   
“I am only getting started.” Nathan responded. “This duel shall be quite interesting. How about we add a little more to it?”   
“What more could you want?” Daniel asked.   
“We make this a duel to the death.” Nathan adds. “We don’t stop dueling until one of us has taken our last breath. The person still standing not only wins the throne, but gains control of the other kingdom as well.”   
“You only want to do this because you want control of Cornelia again.” Daniel said.   
“Are you scared, Sir Daniel?” Nathan asked. “Why don’t you step down now? You’ll be a coward for doing so, but at least you’ll still be alive.”   
“There is no way in hell I am stepping down.” Daniel responded. “I’m not letting you get your way, not anymore.”   
“Well then, this duel to the death will be the perfect opportunity for you to stop me.” Nathan said.   
“I’m not doing it to stop you, I’m doing it to end this pathetic protest.” Daniel said.   
“So the duel is on then?” Nathan asked, holding out his hand.   
Daniel looked down at Nathan’s hand, hesitated, but then sighed and shook his hand. 

Melanie quickly grabbed Daniel and dragged him away from Nathan, “You can’t do this! I won’t let you!” Melanie said.   
“There doesn’t seem to be any other way.” Daniel said. “If we do anything that goes against this protest, Nathan will end up having the throne, and he’ll be in control.”   
“I don’t want you to die.” Melanie said, getting choked up.   
“I will do everything I can to keep that from happening.” Daniel said. “I promise that this won’t be the last time you see me.” 

Just then, the King spoke up, “The duel between Sir Nathan of Avarone and Sir Daniel of Cornelia will take place in the Knight’s room in an hour. One of them will not make it out alive and the other will become the new ruler of Gloucester and their opponent’s kingdom. Those who do not wish to attend may leave.” He then looked over at Daniel and Nathan, “Gentleman, I would look for both of you to come with me.” 

Nathan immediately followed the King while Daniel gave Melanie one last look before walking away and joining them. 

Melanie tried to follow them, but the Queen stopped her. 

“You can’t let this happen!” Melanie told the Queen. “You rule alongside him, you can talk them out of this!”   
“Melanie, stop it right now!” The Queen responded. “Nathan has created a protest and your father must obey it. This will happen whether we like it or not.”   
“You both are higher than Nathan on the hierarchy, and yet you treat him like he is above you!” Melanie argued.   
“He had a clear reason for the protest.” The Queen quietly explained. “And whether or not his reason was truthful, it is still enough to protest.” 

Melanie shook her head and walked away from her mother and out of the ballroom.   
——-  
The King brought the men into a separate room. He sat down and brought out two documents, placing them on the table. He wrote down several things on the document before placing them in front of the men. 

“I never thought I would have to touch these papers, but here they are…” The King said. “It’s both a contract and a waiver, which states that you two agree to the duel and that we are not responsible for any injuries, or in this case death, of the opponents.” 

Nathan immediately signed and dated it, while Daniel took the time to read the paper. Something caught his attention that The King had just written down. 

“In the event that the opponent is defeated and killed, the successor will be declared the winner and become the future heir of Gloucester and gain control of the opponents land.” 

Daniel then sighed his name and put down the date before handing it to the King. 

“You two have an hour to prepare for the duel. Good luck.” The King said before they both left the room.


	10. The Duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Blood and violence.

Melanie went back to her room, continuously pacing up and down the floor, almost to the point of tears. She didn’t want this to happen. She didn’t want to see Daniel, the man she loved and chose to rule by her side, die by a man she used to consider her friend, because of some stupid rule that was created ages ago that nobody used until just now. There had to be a way to stop this without having to give Daniel up. 

As she continued pacing, Sarah stepped into the room. As soon as Melanie saw Sarah, she stopped. 

“I’m sorry that it has to be this way for you.” Sarah said. 

Melanie then started crying, sitting down on her bed. Sarah sat down next to her and comforted her. 

“This all is so unfair.” Melanie cried. “I thought Nathan was actually a decent human being, my friend…”   
“I thought so too…” Sarah sighed. “He is such a fool for having you and Daniel go through this.”   
“I don’t know what I’ll do with myself if Nathan ends up winning…” Melanie continued. “This entire country is going to fall apart, and I’m going to be part of the blame.”   
“Don’t talk like that, Melanie.” Sarah said. “None of this is going to be your fault. Nathan is the one who started all of this, not you.”   
“I honestly don’t want to be here if Nathan ends up winning.”   
“Melanie, you need to stop talking like that!” Sarah explained. “You must stay positive for Daniel and you must stay positive for your own well-being.”   
“I can’t help it.” Melanie said. “There is a fifty percent chance of the man I love dying, and the odds have never really been in my favor.”   
“Let this be the one time you believe it will.” Sarah suggested. “The beginning of today, I never thought I would help my best friend prepare for the most important day of her life. Neither did I think I would end up with the man I fell in love with just this morning! I never really thought I would find love in general! It’s all thanks to you that everything that happened to me happened, and I want you to be optimistic as well.”   
Melanie nodded, “I guess I will try.” 

Sarah continued to comfort Melanie when they heard a knock on the door, it was The Queen. 

“It’s time.”   
———  
Melanie entered the room and took a seat next to her father. As she looked around the room, she noticed the same crowd from the party was also in here for the duel. She looked over at both Nathan and Daniel, who were on opposite sides of the room, kneeling down and staring down at the floor. 

Melanie tried to get up to walk over to Daniel but The King stopped her, “You must stay here, Melanie.”   
“I need to say something to Daniel.” Melanie said.   
“He must be by himself at this time.” The King said.   
“But what if he doesn’t survive?” Melanie asked.   
“Well then, you can tell him on his deathbed.” The King responded.   
Melanie looked at him with disgust and upset, “I can’t believe you are letting this happen… and you’re not even putting your own daughter's feelings into consideration!”   
“You did not create these rules, therefore you do not have a say in it.” The King argued.   
“And neither did you!” Melanie responded. “This rule was created by one man generations ago! Rules can change, you have the authority to do so!”   
“We will not disrespect our ancestors!” The King shouted. “Now silence yourself or you will be escorted out of the room!” 

Melanie slowly sat back down in her seat, angered by the King. 

Moments later, trumpets blared and both Nathan and Daniel stood up, their backs still facing one another. 

“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to tonight’s duel between Sir Nathan of Avarone and Sir Daniel of Cornelia!” The town crier announced. “Whoever is left standing wins the crown to both Gloucester and their opponents’ kingdom! Gentlemen, the floor is now yours!” 

The town crier left the floor and Nathan and Daniel both turned to face each other. They then slowly approached one another until they were in the center of the floor. 

“Who’s striking first?” Nathan asked.   
“I think the man who started the protest should swing first.” Daniel suggested.   
“With pleasure.” Nathan responded. 

Nathan swung his sword directly at Daniel, who blocked it with his shield. Daniel took his sword and pierced it at Nathan’s side. Nathan let out a small groan and temporarily retreated from Daniel. 

Daniel smiled, “Really? That hurt?”   
Nathan chuckled, “It was just the tip of your sword, that’s nothing.” 

Nathan attempted to swing at Daniel again. Daniel blocked the attack with his shield. Nathan then tried to swing by one of Daniel’s legs, which he missed. Daniel then swung at Nathan’s thigh, which the tip and the ridge of the sword sliced through the top part of his left thigh. Nate quickly stumbled, now hobbling on the right leg. He tried putting pressure on his thigh, and as he looked at his hand, it was covered in blood. 

Nathan gave Daniel a menacing look, and hobbled as quick as he could over to strike Daniel again. Once again, Daniel blocked Nate’s attack with his shield, swung the shield directly at Nate’s face, and kicked Nate to the floor, which knocked Nate’s sword out of his hand. 

Everybody gasped and mumbling could be heard throughout the room. Melanie smiled in amazement at how composed and unscathed Daniel was during this whole duel. He could win this and they both could live the rest of their lives together happily. 

Mark, Ethan, Sarah and Matthew were watching from the other side of the room. Sarah, Matthew and Ethan were watching in awe and excitement, however Mark didn’t seem phased. In fact, he looked more concerned. 

“This duel is going by quickly… too quickly.” Mark said.   
Ethan looked at Mark confused, “What do you mean?”   
“Nathan wouldn’t have done this if he knew he wouldn’t win.” Mark explained. “This has to be some kind of trick.”   
“How? Daniel has very clearly struck Nathan!” Ethan said.   
“Yes, and he probably intended on being struck.” Mark added. “He wants to give Daniel the high ground so he can bounce back and win. Whether it will work, we’ll have to see.” 

Daniel looked down at Nathan, his sword pointing down at him. He had a serious look on his face, knowing the final step he had to do in order to win. 

“I don’t want to have to do this, Nathan.” Daniel said. “There doesn’t have to be any more bloodshed. Surrender, and we can move along with our lives peacefully.”   
Nathan spit out the blood from his mouth, and smiled, blood covering his teeth, “There will never be peace.” 

Daniel was about to strike down Nathan for the last time when Nathan finally brought up his shield and blocked Daniel’s attack. Unlike Nathan however, Daniel did not retreat his sword right away. He kept his sword pressed down against the shield in hopes of Nathan’s strength giving out. 

This proved to be a mistake. 

Nathan used his strength to push Daniel’s sword away from his shield. It worked, and it sent Daniel’s sword out of his hands and onto the floor. Nathan quickly retrieved his sword and swung at Daniel’s feet, hitting the back of his feel. Daniel’s ankle gave out and he stumbled to the floor, his shield falling next to him out of his hands. 

Daniel quickly grabbed the shield and was about to shield himself from Nathan’s attack, but before he could react, Nathan had already struck down and stabbed Daniel directly in the abdomen. 

Melanie screamed in terror and gasps filled the room as Nathan struck down and stabbed him a second time. 

Melanie quickly got out of her seat and ran over towards Nathan, The King unable to stop her. Nathan had stabbed Daniel a third time and before Nathan could strike down a fourth time, Melanie used her body as a shield to protect Daniel. 

She quickly put pressure on the stab sounds that Nathan had caused. 

“Daniel, can you hear me?” Melanie asked.   
“Melanie…” Daniel whispered, breathing heavily, “What are you doing?”   
“I’m not going to let him hurt you anymore!” Melanie said. “I don’t care about this rule or this protest anymore!”   
“What does that mean?” Nathan asked, beginning to smile. “Does that mean you’ve finally given in?”   
“No, I’m not giving in.” Melanie said. “But I am ending this fight!”   
“This is a battle to the death, Melanie, remember?” Nathan asked.   
“If you really care that much about winning, then go ahead, kill me!” Melanie exclaimed.   
Everybody in the room gasped.   
“MELANIE! GET BACK OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!” The King shouted. 

Melanie ignored him, looking back up at Nate. She watched as Nathan raised his sword. Melanie closed her eyes and hugged Daniel tightly, before hearing a clinking noise next to her. As she opened her eyes and looked towards Nathan, she noticed the sword dug into the floor, and Nathan walking away. 

She then looked back at Daniel, whose face was turning pale and struggling to stay alive. 

“Daniel, the duel is over! Nathan walked away, we’re going to get you patched up and everything is going to be okay!” Melanie told him, fighting back tears.   
“Melanie, I’m sorry.” Daniel said.   
“Daniel, don’t you dare apologize, none of this was your doing.” Melanie assured him.   
“I was foolish… I let you down.” Daniel continued.   
“You didn’t let anybody down, you did so well and you are so brave.” Melanie responded. “And I love you so much.”   
“I… love you too…” Daniel responded. 

Daniel struggled as he tried to stay awake, but after a couple more minutes, he couldn’t and his eyes started to close. 

Tears began to fill Melanie’s eyes, “Daniel, please don’t do this… please…” 

There was no response. 

Silence filled the room as Melanie sobbed. Some tears were exchanged among some of the people in the room, including Sarah. 

The King sighed, a look of guilt on his face as he stood up, “The duel has ended… Sir Nathan Sharp of Avarone has won. Guards, take the body away.” He announced. 

“No!” Melanie cried. “I won’t let you take him!” 

Nevertheless, the guards approached Melanie. Despite her fighting to get away from the guards, they took her away from Daniel and escorted her out of her room.


	11. The Discovery

Matthew, Mark, Ethan and Sarah made their way out of the room. Sarah was still in tears after seeing her friend's lover die in front of them. 

Sarah turned over to Matthew, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to visit and comfort my friend.” Sarah told Matthew.   
“Of course, go right ahead.” Matthew responded. He watched as she walked down the opposite direction of everyone else.   
Mark sighed, “Well, that ends that… the wedding will be at noon tomorrow.”   
“I can’t believe you were right.” Ethan said.   
“If Daniel hadn’t had held his sword against the shield like that, he may have had a chance.” Mark claimed.  
“I don’t want to say anything now that he’s dead…” Ethan said.   
“This will sound crazy… but I don’t think he’s dead.” Matthew said.   
Mark and Ethan looked at Matthew in confusion, “How so?” Ethan asked.   
“There were no doctors to confirm that Daniel was in fact dead.” Matthew said. “Just because he may have closed his eyes doesn’t mean he died.”   
“But Melanie was there.” Mark responded. “Surely she would have witnessed him take his last breath.”   
“With the state of distress and distraught she was in, she probably assumed the worst.” Matthew said. “That doesn’t mean the worst happened.”   
Mark rolled his eyes, “Just get to the point Sir Theorizer…”   
“I want the three of us to go and see for ourselves.” Matthew said. “And if Daniel is somehow alive, that means Nate will lose his protest over a false win!”   
“Surely that’s not how this whole thing works.” Ethan said.   
Mark waved his finger, seemingly interested, “Perhaps the false win may be a bit of a stretch, but I bet there is a contract involved with this duel. And if Daniel is in fact alive, and he stays alive past midnight, the contract is null and void and that also means Nate loses his protest.”   
“I like where all of this is going.” Ethan nodded in agreement.   
“So we’re all in?” Matthew asked.   
“We’re in.” Both men said. 

The three of them made their way over to the medical ward.  
———  
Sarah made her way over to Melanie’s room, where two guards were standing in front of her room. 

“Excuse me, may I please see Melanie?” Sarah asked.   
“The King and Queen have both requested that nobody may see the Princess at this time.” One of the guards said.   
“You mean to tell me the King and Queen will not allow anybody to send her condolences after she just lost the man she loved?” Sarah asked.   
“I’m sorry Miss Sarah, but that is how it has to be for now.” The second guard responded. 

Sarah sighed, but then thought of the ladder leading up to her balcony in the garden where they had escaped before. 

She went down the steps and headed down the hallway and out onto the garden. There weren’t any signs of guards. She went up the ladder and onto the balcony leading to Melanie’s room. Looking around, there were still no signs of any guards. 

The balcony door was closed, and she gently knocked on it. At first there was no response, Sarah knocked on the door again. This time, Melanie opened the doors, she saw Sarah and quickly went to hug her, sobbing onto her shoulder, causing Sarah to cry as well. 

“I am so sorry for what they have done to you.” Sarah said. “You do not deserve any of this.”   
“I don’t want to marry Nathan after everything he has done.” Melanie sobbed. “Everything is ruined!”   
“Perhaps I can try and get the other men to talk some sense into them.” Sarah said.   
“Neither of them will listen.” Melanie said. “My father believes in these pathetic rules over his own daughter and my mother just follows along with him. And with tradition, I must be married to Nathan tomorrow.”   
“Then we will get people to object to your wedding tomorrow!” Sarah suggested.   
“Unless it is by another lover, it won’t work.” Melanie said.   
“What about Mark or Ethan or even Seán?” Sarah asked.   
“They may have loved me but I never loved them back.” Melanie explained. “So that won’t work either.”   
“There has to be something that could work.” Sarah said.   
“Sarah, I’m done doing all of this.” Melanie said. “With Daniel gone, I’ve lost all hope… for everyone and everything, including my own family… who clearly don’t care for me…”   
“Melanie, that is not true. You know we all love you!” Sarah said.   
“Really?” Melanie asked more seriously. “Then how come my father let this duel happen? How come he stuck with the protest instead of listening to what his own daughter had to say?”   
“Melanie, your father is scared too.” Sarah said. “He’s scared of saying anything that is out of place because of what it could do to everybody, including you and The Queen.”   
“Well then he is not a true King now, is he?” Melanie asked.   
“Even royalty has flaws.” Sarah responded.   
“I want to be left alone now, please.” Melanie demanded.   
Sarah sighed and bowed, “Yes, your majesty.” 

Melanie then closed the balcony doors and Sarah climbed back down the ladder and into the garden.   
———  
Matthew, Mark and Ethan continued to make their way through the castle looking for the medical unit. They finally came across a hallway with a sign on the ceiling with a big red cross on it. 

As they made their way down the hallway, they came across a guard that was standing in front of one of the medical rooms. 

“Excuse me, is this where Sir Daniel’s body has been placed?” Matthew asked.   
“Yes, and nobody is permitted to enter this room.” The guard responded.   
“Please sir, we are… were good friends with Sir Daniel and we just want to pay our respects before he is taken back to his kingdom.” Mark explained. “It is especially unfair that this all takes place during the wedding tomorrow in which we have to attend.”   
“While I understand the circumstances are difficult, I have been ordered by the King and Queen to not let anybody into this room.” The guard stated.   
“We have been given permission by the King and Queen to allow us all to pay our respects to Sir Daniel.” Ethan said.   
Mark and Matthew turned to Ethan as he continued, “And by not letting us in, you are disobeying his royal highness in which you will be terminated. I certainly don’t want that to happen to you, good sir.” 

The guard was silent for a moment before stepping aside and letting the men inside, the door closing behind them. 

“How did you do that?” Matthew whispered.   
“I always say that back home.” Ethan whispered back. “I used it to get into places I wasn’t allowed. Apparently if you say that, guards have to obey.”   
Mark looked back at Matthew and shrugged, “Works for us.” 

They walked across the empty room, where there were several beds lined up against the wall. One of the beds Daniel was laying in. 

They approached his bed and looked down at his body. Matthew knelt down next to him, he placed two fingers up against Daniel’s neck and watched his chest. At first, there was nothing. 

But then, he felt a very faint pulse, and his chest struggled to rise and fall correctly. 

Daniel was alive, but just barely.


	12. The Plan

“He’s alive!” Ethan said. “What do we do?”   
“We need to tell somebody!” Matthew suggested. “He needs a doctor right now!”   
“No, we can’t afford to tell anybody yet.” Mark said. “We only have half an hour until midnight. If Daniel can pull through until then, then Nathan’s protest will become null and void and Daniel can be with Melanie.”   
“Screw that entire process, we probably don’t have half an hour!” Matthew said. “We’ll worry about all of that afterwards!” 

Matthew went over and sat Daniel up, putting his arm around his shoulder. Mark went and grabbed him on the other side. As they stood him up and started carrying him out of the room, they could hear Daniel softly moan, possibly in pain. 

“It’s alright Daniel,” Matthew assured him. “We’re going to get you help.”   
“How do we get him out of here?” Ethan asked. “We can’t go back from which we came.”   
“In my castle, there are two entrances. One leading into the medical ward, and the door we entered through. So hopefully there’s a door somewhere around here.” 

The group started looking for a second door. As they turned from the corner of the room, they found it. Without hesitation, the four of them made their way to the door and opened it. There, they saw a group of nurses standing in the room, as if they were prepared for something. Although they seemed to be caught off guard by the four of them entering from the morgue. 

“Is this Sir Daniel that you’re carrying?” The first nurse asked.   
“Yes, you know about him?” Matthew asked.   
“We were told by the King that he would be brought over to us for confirmation of his death.” The second nurse explained.   
“Well, whoever brought him over here clearly didn’t do their job.” Mark said. “Not only that, but he is actually still alive.” 

The first nurse put on a stethoscope and placed it on his heart, her eyes widened, “It’s true!” She said. “We need to act quickly!” 

The nurses quickly took out tools and different sort of fluids to help Daniel heal and hopefully recover quicker. 

“How long was he in that morgue?” The first nurse asked.   
“I would say maybe within the past hour.” Ethan said. “We got lucky with the guards allowing us inside to pay our respects.”   
The nurse sighed, “That poor boy, he was silently suffering. But we can take it from here! You three should be on your way now.” 

Before the first nurse returned to work, Matthew asked, “Is there a way you could possibly keep this a secret for now?”   
The nurse nodded, “We will certainly try our best.”   
Matthew smiled, “Perfect, we shall return in the morning!” 

The three of them left the medical ward and walked through the morgue again, they grew quiet and put on a sad face as they walked out of the room and past the guards. 

“We sincerely thank you for allowing us to see our dear friend one last time.” Matthew said, pretending to choke up. 

The guards didn’t say anything, although one of them nodded. 

The three of them walked out of the medical hallway and as they turned the corner and disappeared out of the guards sight, the three of them silently jumped around in celebration. 

“If everything goes according to plan, we can get Daniel to object to the wedding tomorrow and get Melanie out of this protest with Nathan!” Matthew said.   
“Sir Matthew Patrick, you are in fact a genius.” Mark responded.   
Matthew chuckled, “What do you think I was before?”   
Mark was silent, “I would rather not answer that…” 

Matthew frowned at Mark’s response as the three of them continued down towards the other side of the castle. As they passed by the garden entrance, Matthew noticed Sarah slowly enter the hall, she seemed upset. 

Matthew quickly went over to her, “My lady, what’s wrong?”   
Sarah sighed, “Melanie is just so distraught. She seems to have given up on everything.”   
“Well, we need to tell you something but it needs to wait until we get to the rooms. I’ll tell you then!” Matthew explained. “Until then, just follow me.” 

Sarah looked at Matthew confused as she was brought along and followed the others down the hallway and into Matthew’s room, where he quickly shut the door behind him before facing Sarah and the others. 

“Sarah, what we are about to tell you may seem very crazy, but we were all there to witness it.” Matthew said. Mark and Ethan both nodded in agreement.  
“Alright, I trust you.” Sarah said.   
Matthew took a deep breath and exhaled before finally telling her, “Sir Daniel is alive.”   
Sarah’s eyes widened, “What? How?”  
“He never died and he was never brought to the medical ward for any type of confirmation, his pulse was too weak to even tell from a normal person’s point of view. But I was actually able to barely feel his pulse. So we brought him to the medical ward from the morgue and he’s being taken care of as we speak.” Matthew explained.   
“And nobody knows about this but us and the nurses promised not to tell anyone.” Ethan said.   
Sarah smiled hopefully, “This means that Nathan’s protest and his contract will be voided!”   
“We just have to get Daniel well enough to where he can object to the wedding tomorrow.” Mark said.   
“But what about the undertakers?” Sarah asked. “They’re arriving at dawn to take him back to Cornelia.”   
“Leave all of that to us.” Matthew said.   
Mark took out his wallet, smiled and nodded. Sarah smiled back.   
“But we do need your help, Sarah.” Matthew said. “Since we know you’re close to Melanie.”   
“What can I do?” Sarah asked.   
“While the Princess is getting ready for her wedding, cause any sort of distraction.” Matthew suggested. “Ruin her dress, her hair, anything to stall the wedding while we retrieve Daniel.”   
“Are you crazy?” Sarah asked. “That could get me suspended from the wedding!”   
“But we need somebody to go and retrieve Daniel before the wedding starts, and we’re all expected to be there.” Matthew said.   
“As am I!” Sarah responded.   
“Yes well, you live here, so you won’t be kicked out of the castle, you’ll only be escorted away from the wedding.” Matthew explained. “That’s when you’ll go and get Daniel from the ward before the objections take place.”   
“He probably won’t be well enough to stand or walk on his own.” Sarah said. “And I’m not going to be strong enough to carry him.”   
“You’ll be able to do it.” Matthew said. “I believe in you, and so do the other two.” 

Sarah looked at Ethan and Mark, who both smiled and nodded. She then turned to Matthew and nodded. 

“Alright, I’ll do it.” Sarah nodded.   
Matthew grinned, kissing Sarah on the cheek. “You are the best!”   
Sarah giggled, “I know I am.”

Just then, the clock on the wall chimed. It was officially midnight. Nathan’s protest as well as his contract were both null and void, and it would be twelve hours before the wedding.


	13. Preparations

That morning, Melanie sulked out of bed, having barely gotten any sleep because of all the trauma she endured from the previous night. She was marrying a man who she thought was a good friend to her, but instead turned out to be a man of jealous rage, and used it to kill the man she truly loved. 

Moments later, the Queen entered the room, drawing open the curtains to reveal daylight. Although it wasn’t sunny at all, there was nothing but clouds that seemed to stretch for miles. Sometimes it looked like it would rain. Nonetheless, the wedding would still occur. 

Melanie stayed quiet the entire time the Queen helped dress her, put up her hair and put her makeup on. She didn’t like the silence coming from her daughter, so she spoke. 

“Melanie, you can’t act like this forever.” The Queen said. Melanie stayed silent. “Staying silent is going to get you nowhere.” Melanie still didn’t respond.   
The Queen sighed, “What happened to my daughter? The young lady who was so excited and was so happy last night?”   
Melanie finally responded, weak and monotone, “She’s gone…” The Queen was caught off guard by her response. “After watching the love of her life die, a part of her died with him. Not that anybody seemed to care anyways.” 

The Queen seemed defeated, so she simply just let the silence continue.   
~~~~~~~  
Sarah hadn’t slept all night. She was too busy preparing for what she would do for the wedding, and how she would stall it as much as she could. 

Then, she came up with an idea. 

She went over to the kitchen and decided to make Melanie some breakfast. She made a bowl of oatmeal, and a plate of eggs, bacon and sausage. She made it the greasiest she could possibly make it. She also made some French toast and added syrup into a little dipping cup. Then, for her drink, she poured a glass of apple juice. 

Perfect. 

She took the plate up to Melanie’s room, knocking on the door. Esther answered the door. 

“Yes Sarah, what is it?” Esther asked.  
“I figured I would bring her majesty some breakfast before her big day today.” Sarah said.  
“Oh, this isn’t necessary…” Esther responded.  
“Bring it in.” Melanie interrupted. 

Sarah nodded and she walked into the room. She gasped and smiled as she saw Melanie dressed up in a white ballroom dress. It was her grandmother’s wedding dress. 

She almost didn’t want to ruin it, but she knew for Melanie’s sake it had to be done. 

“Oh Melanie!” Sarah said, approaching with the tray of food. “You look stunning!”   
Melanie grinned a little, “Thank you.”   
“Today is going to be such a good—WHOA!” 

Sarah tripped over herself, the tray and the food hurling directly at Melanie. She didn’t have any time to react, so the food, juice, oatmeal, everything ended up spilling all over her face and on the dress. 

Melanie just stood there in shock while The Queen screamed. 

“YOU LITTLE BRAT! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY DAUGHTER?” The Queen yelled.  
“I am so sorry, your majesty!” Sarah pleaded.   
“You are to leave this room at once!” The Queen commanded. “And I do not want to see you at this wedding ceremony!”   
“MOTHER!” Melanie shouted.

Sarah put on some fake tears as she ran out of the room. She then ran down the stairs, as she noticed the first of the guests starting to arrive, including Matthew, Mark and Ethan, who also had Seán with him. 

Sarah winked as she passed by Matthew and Matthew just smiled back. 

“It’s done!” Matthew whispered to the group.   
“Excellent.” Mark responded. “We got the undertaker taken care of and now Sarah brought the distraction.”   
“I still don’t have the slightest idea what’s going on” Seán said.  
“Oh, there is quite a lot you missed last night. We’ll catch you up on it soon!” Ethan said as they entered the garden area.   
~~~~~~~~  
Nathan was all dressed up in his suit, looking in the mirror, ready for the wedding. He heard a knock on the door, and one of the servants came in. 

“Sir Nathan, we seem to have a bit of a time delay for the wedding.” The servant announced. “It seems as though an incident has occurred with the bride so the wedding may be delayed by at least a half-hour to an hour.”   
Nathan turned to the servant, “What seems to be the incident?”   
The servant shrugged, “I don’t have the slightest clue other than it pertains to the dress.”   
Nathan turned back to the mirror, fixing his collar, “Well, it doesn’t matter what dress my bride will be wearing, as long as I marry her.”   
The servant nodded, “Will do, your highness.” He then left the room.   
~~~~~~~  
Sarah made her way over to the medical ward, quietly and slowly opening the door. One of the nurses noticed her and approached her. 

“Lady Sarah, shouldn’t you be getting ready for the wedding?” The nurse asked.  
“It’s a long story,” Sarah said, “But I need to retrieve Daniel.”   
“Lady Sarah, he is still far too weak to move.” The nurse explained. “He has regained consciousness but he hasn’t spoken a word…”   
“That’s alright, I’ll just need a wheelchair or something to help carry him to the ceremony.” Sarah said.   
“I understand you and the other gentlemen have good intentions for the Princess, but this still feels dangerous.” The nurse claimed.  
“I assure you that once this is done and over with, we will return him over to you for further care.” Sarah assured the nurse. 

The nurse was hesitant for a moment but finally nodded as she went and got a wheelchair. 

Sarah went over to Daniel, a big smile growing across her face as she realizes he really is alive. 

“Sir Daniel,” Sarah said. “It’s me, Sarah, Melanie’s best friend.”   
Daniel slowly turned his head to her and smiled, “Hello, Sarah…” He mumbled.   
Sarah smiled brighter, “Good, you remember me! How do you feel?”   
“Everything… still hurts.” Daniel responded through the pain.   
“Alright, well at least you’re alive and responsive.” Sarah said. “And I know you’re in a lot of pain right now, but we need you.”   
Daniel gave her a confused look. But then, something clicked inside of his head as he realized what today was.   
“The wedding!” Daniel exclaimed before clutching his stomach in pain.   
“Yes, it’s the wedding, and we need you to object to it to prove you’re still alive!” Sarah explained. “If what Matthew said about the contract is true, then that means Nathan’s protest and his win will be null and void and Melanie will be yours again.”   
“Yes, that’s all true.” Daniel said. “But I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to do anything.”   
“I stalled the wedding, so we have some more time.” Sarah said. “We’ll get you into a wheelchair and we’ll wheel you to the garden area where you can object to the wedding. We can do this!”   
Daniel smiled and nodded, “You’re right, we need to get over there, let’s do this.” 

The nurse brought over a wheelchair. Sarah helped Daniel slowly sit up on the bed, the pain nearly causing tears to well up in his eyes. Finally, the nurse and Sarah got him to stand up from the bed. Daniel smiled as he was able to get back on his feet. They then turned him around and sat him down on the wheelchair. 

The nurse looked towards Sarah, “Good luck.”   
Sarah nodded, “Thank you.” Before wheeling Dan out of the medical ward.


	14. The Ceremony

The Queen zipped up the back of Melanie’s new wedding dress. It was a simple, light pink ballroom dress. She then placed the veil on top of her head. She looked over Melanie’s shoulder as they looked in the mirror with a smile. 

“Well, it’s not what we originally had planned, but it’ll have to do.” The Queen said. “You look simply beautiful.” 

Melanie didn’t say anything, she only nodded. She kept thinking back to whenever Sarah spilled all of that food on her dress. She knew it was an accident, but then again, Sarah would never be that foolish. Either way, she hated the way she was treated. 

“Mother…” Melanie said. “Please don’t be too harsh on Sarah, she meant well with what she was doing.”   
The Queen frowned, “She ruined a wedding dress that was brought down from generation to generation.”   
“The dress would have worn out or been ruined anyways.” Melanie said. “Besides, you all immediately scrambled to get a new dress on for me after what happened.” She then turned to look at the Queen. “Then why couldn’t you do the same with the protest?”   
“Melanie, you need to stop with this.” The Queen said. “Those are two completely different things.”   
“It’s traditional.” Melanie said. “The wedding dress was a tradition just like the protest and the duel. But you cared more about a dress than the life of another man, a man I truly loved.” 

The Queen was silent at Melanie’s response. She then changed the subject, “Your father is downstairs. He wants to see you before the wedding.”   
“Of course he does…” Melanie responded.

The two of them silently made their way out of the room and down the stairs.   
~~~~~~~  
The men were seated in the garden alongside the other guests. They were all explaining the events that occurred to Sir Seán. 

“So Sir Nathan declared protest and dueled Sir Daniel because he wasn’t chosen?” Sir Seán asked. Matthew nodded and Seán sighed, “What an asshole…”   
“Indeed.” Matthew agreed.   
“But what Sir Nathan doesn’t know is that Daniel is alive, and Melanie’s friend Sarah is going to get him and have him object to the wedding.” Mark explained.   
“What? How did he survive?” Seán asked.   
“We really don’t know, but he must have had a goal in mind to really keep himself alive.” Matthew said.   
“I really hope everything goes according to plan.” Seán said.   
“So far, it seems to be that way.” Matthew said. “They’ve already declared a delay in the proceedings, which is exactly what we needed.” 

Suddenly, a crier announced “Everybody please stand for Sir Nathan of Avarone!” 

The crowd stood up and watched as Nathan made his way down the aisle to the alter. None of them had any positive reaction to him. Some of them whispered to the person next to them, concerned about the future of their kingdom now that he will be next in line for the throne. 

As Nathan continued walking, he eyed the four of them, who all gave him a stern glare. Nathan couldn’t help but smile at their response. 

After Nathan made his way to the alter, he kept his back to the crowd, waiting for Melanie to begin her trek down the aisle.   
~~~~~~~  
The King linked elbows with his daughter. He looked down at her, noticing her looking straight ahead at the garden in front of her. 

“Melanie, you look beautiful.” The King stated.   
Melanie looked up at him. Not wanting to cause anymore trouble, he faked a smile for him, “Thank you, father.” 

Trumpets started blaring to declare their arrival. They started walking forward and stopped at the doorway. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, Princess Melanie escorted by The King of Gloucester!” 

Melanie and The King made their way down the aisle. Her heart began racing as she began to realize that this was it. After this moment, Gloucester and Avarone will become one Kingdom, and possible tensions that she knew were happening between all the other kingdoms would worsen, possibly ending in warfare, and all she could do was sit and watch. 

She looked over at some of the people in the crowd, a look of concern on their faces. Were they worried about her? Worried about the fate of their future? Worried about why she wasn’t wearing a white wedding dress? Whatever the case may be, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

Finally, she made her way to the front of the alter. Nathan turned around, looked at Melanie and smiled. The smile seemed genuine, and he seemed happy, but that’s because he was getting what he wanted. 

Only him, nobody else but him was getting what he wanted. 

But once again, for the sake of kindness and simplicity, Melanie faked a smile as the King gave away her hand to Nathan, who took hers. 

Then, the pastor began the ceremony.   
~~~~~~~  
Sarah wheeled Daniel from the medical ward into the main area of the castle, leading into the garden. As she peeked her head out the window, she noticed everybody facing forward and watching the wedding. 

“Good, the wedding just started!” Sarah said to Daniel. “We can get in there and have you object to the wedding when the time comes.”   
“Right.” Daniel nodded.   
“How do you feel right now?” Sarah asked.   
“I still feel weak, I don’t know if I can stand just yet.” Daniel said.   
“Don’t worry about anything, it’s all going to work out.” Sarah assured him. 

Just then, two guards approached the two of them, blocking their way. 

“Maiden Sarah, you do realize you have been banned from this wedding, correct?” The first guard asked.   
“Yes, I realize that, but I am just here to help somebody else get to the wedding.” Sarah explained. “And then I will be on my way.” 

The guards looked down at Daniel, their eyes widened. 

“That’s Sir Daniel!” The second guard exclaimed. “They all said he was dead!”   
“Frankly, I am quite surprised as well.” Daniel said.   
“Please, we need him to go into the garden to object to this wedding!” Sarah pleaded.   
“I-I cannot let you go through, as neither of you were technically invited or you were banned.” The first guard stuttered.   
“I’m sure you are fully aware of the consequences that this wedding will have on not just our kingdom, but the entire country.” Sarah explained. “By not letting us through, you are letting the future destruction of this country take place.”   
The guards were silent, Sarah continued to speak, “So what will it be? The wedding, or the lives of thousands, maybe even millions of people?” 

The guards looked at one another, still unsure of what to do.   
~~~~~~~  
The pastor continued to read the rest of the second passage that he was on. As the wedding ceremony continued, Melanie grew more uncomfortable and more nauseous as time went by. She struggled to not show any signs of it. She just continued smiling and gripping onto Nathan’s hands. She was pretty sure her palms were sweating, but it didn’t seem to phase Nathan one bit. 

Finally, the pastor stopped reading. Melanie’s heart began to face even more as it was time for the vows. 

The pastor looked out into the crowd. 

“Before we proceed with the vows and the ring exchange, if there is anyone here who was a reason these two should not be wed, speak now… or forever hold your peace.” 

The crowd was silent for a moment. Melanie grew hopeless. She knew this was it. If nobody objected to this wedding, she would officially be wedded to Nathan. 

Suddenly, everybody heard a voice from the back of the garden. 

“I… I OBJECT!”


	15. The Objection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These last few chapters are going to be shorter than the others.

Everybody turned around and gasps could be heard throughout the garden as they saw Daniel just barely standing at the entrance of the garden, Sarah standing next to him in case he were to fall over. Both Nathan and Melanie’s eyes widened as they saw him. Melanie began tearing up and covering her mouth in surprise and disbelief, while Nathan grew angry. 

Melanie was about to step down from the altar and run over to Dan, when Nathan grabbed her.   
“You’re not going anywhere!” Nathan exclaimed.  
“Unhand me!” Melanie shouted, taking her hand away from him.   
“Yes, Nathan…” Daniel responded. “Unhand her…”

Daniel was about to walk forward, but just as he was about to, he clutched his stomach in pain and stumbled to the ground. Sarah went over and helped him up. Mark was right next to them and stood up to help. Melanie ran down the aisle right over to him. 

“Daniel, you’re… you’re alive!” Melanie cried.  
“Yes I am.” Daniel nodded. “And I’m here for you now.”  
Nathan began walking over to them, “How the hell is this possible? I killed you during the duel!”  
“Yeah…” Daniel nodded. “I thought so as well. Until I just miraculously happened to have awoken in the infirmary. I was, and still am, in a great deal of pain, but I am still alive.”  
Nathan pulled the sword out from his holster, “Well, I can still finish you off right here and now.”  
“I will not allow that!” A voice shouted.

The group turned around, noticing the king standing up from his seat. “Sir Nathan, you and Sir Daniel signed a contract. In the event that one fighter dies during battle, the other fighter is declared the winner, and next in line for the throne alongside the princess.” The King explained. “It is very apparent as of now that Sir Daniel, while almost gravely wounded, had never died during battle. Thus, the contract, and your protest, is null and void.”  
“I read no such thing in that contract!” Nathan claimed.  
“Yeah…” Daniel said, breathing heavily from the pain, “Because you didn’t even bother reading it!”  
Nathan kept looking around, all eyes on him.  
“Th-There’s no way you could’ve been helped…” Nathan said. “The guards were supposed to bring you right to the morgue to be brought back home at dawn!”  
The crowd looked shocked and murmurs could be heard throughout, the king looking very displeased.  
“You used my guards?” The king asked.   
“I was the future ruler of this kingdom, so of course they were going to obey me!” Nathan claimed.  
“Lies! All lies!” A voice shouted.

The crowd looked back to the entrance of the garden, where two guards stood. Ethan, Mark, Matthew and Sarah recognized those guards as the same ones who stood guard at the morgue. 

“He bribed us.” One guard said. “He told us not to let anybody into the morgue, wanting us to use the king's orders as an excuse.”  
The king scowled at Nathan even more, “You bribed my guards and you dared to use my authority as an excuse?”  
Nathan didn’t say anything.  
“Well now that I know everything, I’m going to use my own guards to have you arrested and persecuted for your actions!”

Suddenly, a whole group of guards began to surround Nathan. He quickly took out his sword, ready to fight them. But there were so many of them, that one guard grabbed him from behind, causing him to drop his sword. As soon as the sword hit the ground, all the guards went on top of him, chaining him up until it was guaranteed he couldn’t escape. 

Two guards carried Nathan out and away from the garden back inside the castle, all of the guards following single file behind them. The crowd started cheering as they all made their way inside. 

The King approached Melanie, “Are you alright?”  
Melanie smiled, nodding, “Yes father, I’m alright.”  
The King then gave Daniel a serious, yet apologetic look. “Sir Daniel, I must truly apologize for all the pain you have had to endure these past several hours. The fact that you were willing to stay alive for my daughter, is something truly spectacular, and it warms my heart to see this.”  
“Well, that’s what true love is about, isn’t it?” Daniel asked.  
The King nodded, “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”  
Melanie let out a giggle, “You didn’t have to go all cliche like that.”

Daniel began laughing, but then began coughing before fainting. Sarah and Melanie quickly caught him before he could fall.

“He needs to go back to the infirmary!” Melanie said.   
“Absolutely.” Her father nodded in agreement. “Sarah, you can take him back and let him rest. We’ll wait until he has fully recovered to have a wedding.”  
Sarah nodded. Both her and Melanie helped him back in the wheelchair and quickly wheeled him back into the castle.

The king then faced the rest of the crowd. 

“I apologize for all of the events that have unfolded this morning.” The King said. “Once Sir Daniel has fully recovered, we will have the true wedding ceremony.”

The crowd applauded in response. They seemed to all be just as happy with everything that happened as Melanie was.


End file.
